Half Moon Bay Family, Restaurateurs Offer to Pay Entire Moss Beach Tax Debt

Paul and Julie Shenkman of Half Moon Bay, owners of Sam’s Chowder House, have offered to pay the entire property tax due on Moss Beach Park, approximately $8,000, according to a report on Montara Fog.

The Shenkmans currently own Sam’s in Half Moon Bay as well as Osteria Coppa in San Mateo and Campo 185 in Palo Alto. In an effort to thank the community for their continued support of their restaurants, the Shenkmans thought this was the right thing to do after learning that the park could be saved after paying the back taxes due.

San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley said that the County will cancel the sale of Moss Beach Park after a Pacifica developer bought the property in an online tax auction this summer. The nonprofit Coastside Preservation and Recreation Inc. was negligent for years on paying its property taxes on the parcel, which was approved for sale in April by the county Board of Supervisors.

"We’re always looking for ways to give back to the local community, as it’s been so good to us," writes Julie Shenkman to Half Moon Bay Patch in an email. "When we heard about the park sale, we were as stunned as anyone at this silent sale. Our immediate reaction was that this just can’t be! This had an especially personal impact on us because we spent many hours at the park with our own son Sam when he was younger, and still visit it today. ... We’re so impressed how quickly everyone rallied around it to save it once they heard."

In a letter on Montara Fog, the Shenkmans outline their motivation for paying the entire balance of $8,035.79 due on the park: 

We regularly visited Moss Beach Park when our son Sam was younger (and occasionally still do!), so it holds a special place in our heart, and we know how important it is for the community. We were as surprised as many to find out that it had been silently sold. Our first thought was that we had to find out how to help, and when we learned that it could possibly be resolved by the back taxes being paid, we knew right away we wanted to contribute. We are always looking for ways to thank the community for their continued support of Sam’s, and this was just one more way to do it. We are so grateful to Montara Fog for first publishing the letter to tell everyone what was going on, to the community for rallying the way that they did, and for San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley and everyone else involved in helping to return the park to the community. What a wonderful place in which we live!

Paul, Julie, and Sammy Shenkman

A public meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 4 at 7:00 at the Farallone View Elementary School in Montara to discuss the details of securing the park’s future.

Read the full report on Montara Fog here.